Your Heart's Desires
by W-IIV
Summary: Summary: Hannah has been having some confusing feelings toward her best friend Barbara and goes to Diana for help, however things don't go as planned and now Hannah is chasing her own heart before it reaches it's own desires. (Inspired by in a heartbeat, two-shot)
1. Chapter 1

**This fic is inspired by the stunning short film In a Heartbeat, you guys should definitely watch it if you haven't already. Also I'm quite excited to hear your thoughts on this because this is the first Hannah and Barbara shipping fic I've written. Anyways I hope you enjoy this! :)**

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"Diana," Hannah said, cheeks red and her body heaving with hasty breaths of air. Her hand's grip on the bookshelf side that separates her teammate from them in their dorm room as her desperate hazel eyes meet blue.

"Hannah," Diana reply, pushing out of her chair as the legs scrape the flooring. She drops the book she was learning from and rushes to Hannah's side, concern written all over her face as she guides Hannah to the small couch in the centre of the room. "Hannah, what's wrong?" She asks, one hand on her shoulder as the other waves her wand, soundless magic causes the tip to flicker with light as a jug and cup of water floats to the coffee table.

"Barbara," Hannah admits after taking one long gulp of the water, placing it back on the coffee table for the floating jug to refill it.

"Barbara!" Diana repeats, her concern face shifts to intense worry as she automatically rises to her feet, the grip on her wand tightening. She would've left already were it not for Hannah holding onto the fabrics of her skirt, her head shaking, a motion to tell her that she got it all wrong.

"Barbara is not what's wrong Diana, Barbara _is_ the cause of what's wrong," Hannah clarifies as she takes another sip of water.

Diana looks at her, a hint of confusion on her face as she sits back down. "I don't understand what you're talking about Hannah."

Hannah takes one more sip of water before turning to her with an exasperating sigh, "I don't understand what's going as well in all honesty." Hannah leans back on the couch, her eyes casting to Barbara's bed before she looks up to the ceiling. "I don't know why but when we held hands the other day when we were practising dual casting like we always do my heart was beating so fast. I want to say that's the adrenaline because this was a new spell but when she held it today it happened again and it went even faster than before! I thought it was going to explode!"

Hannah sat up this time, her head dipping forward, hazel eyes searching for the answers on her hands as they close and open gently. "This isn't the only occurrence as well, when she smiled at me when I showed her that my first batch of cookies after baking with Jasminka and told me that they were really tasty, my heart was tingling like something was there with it and my cheeks were so hot, I thought they were on fire!" Hannah glances at the balcony, her eyes lost in a memory of black hair being blown gently by the wind, the moon illuminating her face and the excited gleam in teal eyes. A soft smile grew on Hannah's face, a pink blush spreading across her face.

"Then," she breathes, voice airy and light, "When she was reading her nightfall last night on the balcony I don't know why but my heart wasn't working properly. It was skipping beats and- and there was no blood going to my legs because my knees were feeling so weak. I knew maybe everything will be better if I looked away but I couldn't stop staring..." Her face falters when the memory fades, her eyes switching from happiness to worry as she looks to Diana. "Diana… is anything wrong with me?"

Diana looks at her, her mind in deep thought. The obvious thing was coming to her mind however, she knows Hannah would not believe her if she can't see the obvious signs already, not to mention she would be in a lot of denial with her true emotions if someone told her. She knows she was when Amanda told her the blunt truth around her confused feelings with another local witch. An idea comes to her and she stands up before heading over to the bookshelf to try and find the right spell one of her ancestors made.

"I believe I might have a spell to help you figure out what is happening, however, the solution is up to you," Diana explains as her fingers trace the spines of her old leather books, old family names leave her lips until she pauses with a grin, finally finding what she was looking for. Her hand takes a book out, a book that was covered in dust and made Diana cough lightly as she brings it to the coffee table. Hannah stays silent as she eyes the book in wonder whilst Diana flips through the pages before she points her wand at a spell spoken in the lunar alphabet. "This is the spell that will help you, Hannah."

"Really?" Hannah grins, her head moving closer to the page as she blows on it to clear up a bit more dust that settled there. Her brows furrow at the unfamiliar language and she looks up to Diana for help. "What does it do Diana?"

Diana leans forward to read the text clearer, the incantation a small murmur on her tongue as she repeats the words again and again. "This spell will allow us to speak to your heart, your inner heart, the one that holds the emotions, the one that is responsible for what you're feeling." She explains before glancing at Hannah, a reassuring smile on her face, "This spell is quite simple and I assure you the extraction won't hurt at all, that is, of course, you want to try this out."

"Yes," Hannah nods, her eyes fixating on the half faded illustration, the drawing of a curled boy holding a curved object in his hands, Hannah couldn't figure out what the object was, the full image was lost to time. Her eyes meet Diana with a golden passion as her head nods feverishly, "I want to try this."

It takes no less than ten minutes for Diana to learn the words off by heart and know them well enough that there would be a minimal backlash to the spell casting. "Are you ready?" Diana asks wand held firmly as she looked at Hannah. They moved to a bigger clearing in their room, pushing the couch into the coffee table so that they have space to stand.

Hannah nods her head, both hands covering her heart, finding solace on the rhythm it makes against her chest. Her eyes closed as soft red lights surround her and a calming warmth envelope her body. Small flutters tickle her chest as it beats more frequently. A soft weight pushes through her skin, the pain is none existent as a velvet texture brushes against the palm of her hands.

When she opens her hazel eyes and looks down at her hands as the red light dissipates, she catches the eyes of another pair of hazel eyes. Her jaw drops as she stares at the object she holds in her hands. A red heart, cartoonish in colour and shape with hazel eyes and a yellow bow worn on the right side. She knew whose heart she held instantly, she was holding her own. "Hey, Diana," Hannah laughs nervously, her eyes reflecting how close she was to fainting when they reach Diana, the fact that she was holding her own heart hitting her like a brick and was quickly overwhelming her. "Wh-What what do I do now?"

"First of all calm your emotions and normalise the situation," Diana orders when she walks to her and leads her to her bed. "I'm aware how surreal this is but you need to clear your mind so that you can fully hear what your heart is telling you or else heart will be muddled with mind and you might be even more confused." Diana's hand clasp her shoulder, motioning Hannah to look at her as she mimics breathing techniques. "Try and control your breathing Hannah."

Hannah nods at her, her hasty breath slowing down as she stares at her heart in her hands as it smiles at her, giggling when Hannah tries not to freak out again but from excitement instead of panic. "Hi," she laughs, voice a bit breathless, even more, when her heart waves back with a black cartoonish stick shape hand and arm. "Oh Jennifer, Diana's it's talking back!" Hannah squeals in excitement.

"I can see that," Diana muses, laughter evident in her smile. She moves back to give them a bit of space and privacy, it was a heart to heart talk after all. "Now that you're both comfortable with each other you can ask your heart why it's acting like that towards Barbara."

"Right," Hannah grins, a small nod her way to show Diana her thanks before she looks back at her heart. "So uh, what's up with the whole Barbara thing lately?"

The heart, her heart swoons, hazel eyes gushing with a sudden twinkle in their eyes as it floats up in the air, their hands together and resting on its cheeks as it twirls several times before it lands back in Hannah's hands.

"I'm really sorry, but I don't understand what you mean," Hannah admits sheepishly, bringing her heart closer to her face to see if she can understand it a bit better, a tinge of guilt hits her stomach when her heart looks at her slightly aghast that she can't see what it sees. "Do you have other ways of showing me?" Her heart smiles giving her a quick nod before it flies up to her level the top of her eyes where it closes its eyes and leans it's against Hannah's head.

Before Hannah had any clue on what was going on, her mind exploded with memories and images of the same person, the same person she sees every day, the same person that caused this entire thing to happen in the first place, Barbara Parker. No memory changes, not in content, perspective or lighting, there was no special effects like it was a love bee's sting. Everything was the same, yet, everything was so different.

She wants to say that it came to her within seconds notice when she saw the first wave of treasured memories but she knows that a second can last an eternity and she spent a second's eternity in awe and wonder after this realisation, this revelation hit her. She, Hannah England was falling and falling hard, for her best and closest friend Barbara Parker. It came to her quicker than a second did like the sting of a love bee but this sort of love was genuine and real.

It was too real in fact, for her to handle. In the middle of everything, memories circling in this love fest tornado Hannah was scrambling to find something else, something to say that she wasn't so deep into her subconscious affections but the way her body reacted to her friend's smile, laughter and the way she looks at Hannah proves her otherwise. The storm of butterflies inside her that moves in time with the exhilarating sparks streaking across her bones like they were copper wires prove her otherwise.

When she finally snaps out of this revolutionary reverie, her face is burning again, her cartoonish heart is spinning around her, making adorable noises that they see eye to eye, that both mind and heart think somewhat alike and the heat reached tips of her ears when she remembers why she's blushing so much. She liked Barbara and not just in a friend way, not in crush way either. No, she just had to have this feeling be dormant and then suddenly explode on her like a volcano, her mind racing to catch up with her heart where she realises she likes her, a lot. She would say love if she wasn't so scared of this sudden concept, especially when her mind is attacked with questions she doesn't know the answers to. How long has she liked her? Does anyone know before she did? Does _she_ know?

"Well, did you find what you were looking for?" Diana asked, scaring Hannah so much that she falls back on her bed. Diana pauses at the foot of the bed before taking a step back when she sees the terrified face her friend holds. "Hannah," she says slowly, her voice soft to show she does no harm. "Are you okay?"

She wants to yes, she wants to say that she's perfectly fine with liking her best friend, she wants to lie her that everything is fine and that she just startled her. She also wants to tell her the truth, that she's kinda terrified of liking Barbara, that she has no clue what to do now, that whilst she loves-no likes Barbara she is scared of her, of what could happen next, of changing their long formed friendship because of a bunch of sudden feelings she feels for her.

"Do you-" Hannah starts suddenly before she catches herself. She looks to her hands, ignoring her heart still fluttering near her, concerned on what's happening, and she swallows hard. "How long have you-" she tries again before she stops herself when she sees herself reflected in Diana's clear blue eyes. She tries a third time, then a fourth, then a fifth but nothing leaves her mouth. Her mouth opens and closes like a gaping fish and her voice is stuck, wedged in her throat as she no longer finds the strength to even look at Diana.

"You want to know how long I knew you liked Barbara?"

"So you did know before me," Hannah whispers, trying not to feel faint as more worries, more questions jumble around her mind, she tries to stay strong, to not cry as she looks up at Diana but she can tell from the shift of expressions going from bad to worst on Diana's face that she is nothing a good job with that. Without giving Diana a chance to speak, Hannah's voice finds the courage to speak her mind. Literally, as questions fire at Diana left, right and centre.

"How long did you know? Does anyone know? Was I that oblivious? Were my actions so obvious? Does Barbara know? Is this is even the right thing? Am I feeling the right thing?"

"Hannah!" Diana shouts, a vocal slap across Hannah's face as Diana sits right in front of her, holding her hands to give reassuring squeezes. "I only became aware of your feelings for a few months, you coming to me for help only solidified what I assumed however I am only aware because we've known each for years and I can sense after sharing a dorm with you two for a period of time that you two have this special connection that I don't share with any of you, understand?" She explains in a slow manner so that Hannah can let this information sink and use it to calm down. Hannah nods in response, her breath starting to calm down as well.

"I, however, cannot speak for everyone else about your romantic ways of affection but I can speak for everyone when I say we know that you two appeared to be the best-est of friends as a first impression. As for Barbara's feelings herself, I cannot answer that at all." Hannah nods once more, her emotions more or less at a standstill.

Diana takes this a cue to continue however she squeezes Hannah's hands tighter, her face leaning a bit closer as she looks deep into her hazel eyes. "Hannah, what I say next is the absolute truth and don't listen to anyone's differing opinion." She looks up at Hannah's heart who smiles, getting her plan and rests on their intertwined hands.

"This," she starts, motioning at the heart beating between them. "This is the right thing because this will never be the wrong thing. Liking someone the same sex to you is never the wrong thing. If that's how you feel then that's how you feel, there is nothing wrong with that." She smiles this time, a tinge of a blush bloom on her face as she resists the urge to look away but she knows sharing this information will help Hannah feel welcome in this new discovery. "I too actually like someone in that way in Luna Nova," she admits.

"Really?" Hannah asked astounded because as far as she knew, no girl in Luna Nova tried to catch her attention or asked her out. In the same way, no girl stands out that Diana could possibly like. She smiles when Diana nods, blushing in admitting it. A sense of belonging flows through her as she sighs in relief. She was not alone in liking girls as a girl. The thought alone made her heart soar in happiness, in fact, it did. Laughter left her lips when her heart flew under and over their hands, chortling in cute laughter as well. "So who is the special girl then?" Diana looked at her, her cheeks growing darker as she mumbles the name of the lucky gal.

Hannah didn't believe her.

"Oh Jennifer," she exclaims, her hands leaving Diana's as she falls back on her pillow, one hand massaging her temple as she tries to see how this was ever possible. Diana with- how? "Are you serious?" She asks, her head looking up to see Diana look at her with a solid firm nod before her head falls back on the pillow, both hands comforting her mind as it tries to comprehend what, how or why this happened. Every time she pictures them interacting it ends with a huffy fit or an argument, even when she sees them individually she can't see how Diana fell for such a person. This news was a more shocking revelation than her realising her feelings for Barbara and that's saying something.

"Since when did you fall for Akko of all people?" She asks bluntly, fully sitting up so that she can understand the whole details of this attraction. "I don't mean that as a bad thing by the way," she adds quickly just realising she kinda insulted Diana's crush. "It's just that you and her-"

"It's okay I understand," she smiles, a tad bittersweet as she looks away to the ground, the blush still on her cheeks but fainter. "I am very aware that not many people would see Akko as a suitable partner, the differences in class and attitudes to life in general and how we interacted before..." she ends it there with a sigh and a deep sense of guilt shot through Hannah's heart as she remembers how she treated the girl before.

"What made you fall for her, if you don't mind me knowing?" Hannah asks with caution as she moved closer to Diana, holding her hand to show her support. She hopes she didn't come off as insulting, she's actually very curious about this because as far as she known Diana, no one made her be like this at all.

The thought made Diana's smile that was gone before return and a sense of joy swept through Hannah knowing she made her feel a bit better. "Akko," Diana begins, her smile growing even more with the mention of her name. "Has this sort of, I don't know how to explain it but you just can't ignore her. Even when she isn't doing anything wild and is paying attention you are just aware that she's in the same room as you. Akko lacks any way of being subtle but she makes up for it with her expressions like when she smiles at you and only at you..." She pauses there, red flushing her cheeks, a stray curl falls against her cheeks. Diana dips her head before she pushes it back behind her ear. "It feels like the world stopped moving."

Hannah chuckles, nudging Diana with her elbow so that she looks at her. "I'm happy you found someone like her in your life, Diana," she smiles, noticing the small glimmer in Diana's eyes at her support. "Now fully thinking about it, you too kinda look cute together."

"I'm sorry?" Diana asks the colour darkening on her face which causes Hannah to laugh even more.

"I'm being serious," Hannah laughs, covering her mouth as she looks at Diana's deep crimson face, her mouth stuttering in tsundere denial. "A girl from a high-class society falls for this simple country witch. It's kinda cute and besides," she removes her hand from her mouth and flashes her a supportive smile. "I think she'll be good for you, I hope things go well for you two."

"Well," Diana says before clearing her throat, trying to regain her composure from before but the failing attempt only makes Hannah giggle. "I'm glad to know that I have your support in liking Akko and I hope you and Barbara work out well too," she paused there to look at her, eyeing with caution as Hannah looks away at the mention of her crush's name. "That is if you wish you continue and develop your feelings for her." Hannah remains silent, the heart that was ignored by both of them, floating near Hannah and patting her shoulder. "You are aware it's perfectly fine and normal to like girls and it's even fine to like your best friend right?"

"Yeah I know," Hannah gives her a small but wry smile as she sits up a bit straighter, turning to face her friend and teammate. "I know it's okay to like Barbara and maybe I might do something to bring us closer in the future but right now I'm just kinda lost on what to do next."

"I know the feeling," Diana chuckles as she looks out to the window and the balcony. "I understand that our scenarios though similar are still different, so I can say is follow your heart's desire."

Hannah looks at her before she turns her attention to a photo frame on her bedside table, a nostalgic smile coming on her face as she holds the frame gently between her hand. It's a photo of Hannah and Barbara in their first week of Luna Nova, their hands holding close as they are deep in a tight embrace, smiling and laughing out of excitement. She can still even hear the lingers of their laughter from so many months ago. "Follow my heart's desire huh?" she murmured to herself, eyes lost in nostalgic reverie, mind consumed with the thought of her teammate.

A little giggle, a childish giggle snapped her out of it, her eyes opening wide in a slow motion as her eyes catch something she didn't see before. A little heart, her heart with a yellow bow snuggles up against Barbara in the photo. She completely forgot that the heart was still there floating around her. "Uh, Diana?" Hannah asked with a nervous jitter in her voice, her heart not caring at all that her person was starting to panic. "Why...is it still floating?" She turns to her, a nervous expression on her face. "I thought it left."

"I thought so as well," Diana said slowly before she went back to the spell book, flipping through pages in a hurried motion. Upon finding the page, she buries her nose deep into the words, her head rising with a gasp. "Oh dear…" she laughs in a scared manner.

"Oh dear? I don't like the sound of oh dear," Hannah said quickly, pitch becoming higher through fear as she stares at her heart with caution as it snuggles more and more next to Barbara's image.

"It seems that the heart would only return when its desire is fulfilled and will not stop unless it is broken or the counter spell is used against it or after a month's time where the spell would disappear," Diana explains, feeling sorry as the colour drains from Hannah's face.

"Wait I thought we did do that!" Hannah exclaims, watching the heart as it twirls around before bouncing on Barbara's bed then flying up to Hannah's face in pure joy. "That's how I found out that I like Barbara!"

"I believe your heart merely showed you what it desires but it has not accomplished said desires."

"Oh dear," Hannah breathes as her mind envisioned several scenarios of the heart being with Barbara, though most were pleasant but embarrassing. The rest were not and were, in fact, the worst thoughts possible. Lost in thought she fails to notice that her heart was no longer in front of her but was zooming around to find a means to escape and accomplish its desires. "Oh dear," she repeats, falling back on her bed again, eyes looking at the ceiling as she tries so hard not to faint. This was just great.

"Hannah, for your sake please do not faint on me," Diana begs, worry evident in her plea which made Hannah to sit up and look at her. She follows her line of sight and where her wand was pointing to before she straightens up immediately. The heart, her heart was trying to open the handle of the door but despite its efforts, the door merely rattled in one place. Cartoonish hazel eyes meets Hannah's and it smiles, soaring between the distance to hold her finger and drag Hannah to the door. Hannah tries to hold her ground but the suddenness of it all causes her to stumble and be dragged away with the power of love.

"I can't," Hannah said as she massages her head, the small heart gasping in anguish after it failed to make Hannah open the door for them. "I'm a bit scared," she explains softly with a wry smile as the heart squished her cheeks for an explanation. "I know you felt like this for a while now but this is all new to me." The heart looks at her, hazel eyes swimming in sorrow before it lights up in determination and gives Hannah a thumbs up. Hannah, in turn, looking in horror as she realises what the heart was going to do.

"Diana, trap the heart!" She calls as she leapt up to try and catch her heart. The heart was too quick however and zooms up, flying to the side as a jet of green energy misses it by a few inches. The heart chortles thinking this is all a game before giving a reassuring smile to Hannah as she jumps up to try and catch it again. "It's going to try and meet Barbara!"

"Don't worry Hannah, I don't think it has a way to escape," Diana reassures, shooting the same bubble trap spell everywhere like fireworks as the heart zooms circles around them near the ceiling. Hannah as well kept on jumping up and down to get the capture the heart yet she misses each time. Instead, she pops bubbles that joined the fray, where Diana's spells hit different small objects like a spare book or a throw cushion.

Hannah covers her head as a cushion fell on top of her before she shoves away to the side in irritation that nothing is working. The cushion crashes into the couch, hitting the glass cup that was left there, shattering the entire scene as all eyes stop to look at the coffee table. The glass rolls side to side, however not a crack seen but the water was quickly covering the wooden floor. Hannah and Diana sighs in relief that nothing precarious was broken but that relief didn't last long.

A high pitch squeal became warning sirens in their ears. They both lock eyes on the floating heart, following the gaze of it's hazel eyes which lands at partially open balcony door. Then they looked at each other in a fraction of a second, a silent urgent message communicate between their eyes before Hannah _ran_ to the door, her heart zooming at it in record speed as well. Spells flew from Diana's wand, each one still missing the heart with a hair's length whilst Hannah leapt over fallen books and cushion, racing her heart to the door before the unexpected happens.

Hannah miscalculated her last jump, her foot being splashed with cold water as she stepped into a puddle. She slipped, crashing to her bottom as she slides across the wet floor, her hands outstretched to try and hold onto something but failing. To make matter's worse, the moment she touched the door, the momentum she built up pushed the door open even more. Her mouth wide open in horror as her heart flew out to the open and spun around, giving her a smile before it jetted down to find Barbara.

"Oh Jennifer," Hannah breaths before she fainted on the balcony floor, the sudden turn of events overwhelming her.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey sorry for the delay I was a bit busy but hey it's here now and I hope you like it! Also for those on tumblr I will be doing charoix week so be ready for that in the next few days.**

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Hannah's heart was a simple thing and only wanted simple things like to be with Barbara's heart. Unfortunately often the simplest things are hard to get hence why it's lost in the labyrinth that is Luna Nova, it can't even find a place to get into the school itself. The pulse beats in a rhythmic pattern like it were dancing to the lyrical poetry of Sappho's words as its thoughts became consumed with the image of long black hair and beautiful teal eyes and a smile worth all the treasures in the world. It's smile becomes a curvy wave, a little mess as it's hazel eyes close in a small daydream. It dreams of close hugs and cuddles in the night, where her heart pulses as one with Barbara's, her sighs of comfort and peace being a personal lullaby that makes it want to soar.

And soar it did, it soars up to the sky and straight into Akko Kagari.

Akko's screams shatter the daydream it was in, the sudden rush of the wind against its cheeks forces it to wake. Instantly, it clutches to Akko's little pony tail for dear life as they both spiral downwards to the ground, a similar cartoonish shriek joining Akko's as they brace for impact.

"Akko are you okay?" Lotte asks as she lands near the crash site. She rushes to Akko's side whilst Sucy lands and observes from the short distance, her lazy eyes catching the strange object that clung to her ponytail before she moves closer to get a better view. Hannah's heart sways there, swirls replacing its hazel eyes as chibi versions of Barbara smiling circle its head. "What happened? You were doing so well," Lotte continues as Akko massages the temple of her head.

"This is what happened," Sucy comments as she holds the heart up by it's hand. She peers closer at it, shaking it lightly to snap it awake but it only made the heart be more confused. "Hey Lotte, what is this sprite?" She glances over to her friend whose eyes widen behind her frames as she edges closer. "Also why does it look like Hannah?" She swings her hand to Lotte's face so that she can have a closer look.

"I, don't know…" Lotte murmurs, scratching her chin, deep in thought. "It could be a valentine sprite or a cupid faerie but these things only come in late winter and early spring." She turns her head to glance at Akko who is trying to see where was the bump on her head. "We can figure what this thing is later, right now we need to bring Akko to the infirmary." She turns back to poke the heart, accidentally stirring it awake.

"Do you think I can use it a potion?" Sucy snickers as she waves the heart around a bit more, her smile widening to the point it looks creepy especially to Hannah's heart as it was the first thing it saw. It was literally about to go into a heart attack at the sight.

"Sucy no!" Lotte chides as the heart became to struggle out of the Sucy's grip. "Look you're scaring it now!" The sudden noise from the side frightens the heart even more as it flies out of Sucy's grip and into Akko's face once more before it shoots away to the distant, sticking to the path in hopes it finds a way in.

"What, was that about?" Akko exclaims, her hand clutching the fabric of her shirt as she looks at her two friends. She fell from the sky after the months worth of practice and then suddenly a weird red alien thing went to her face.

"It seems like we're going to find out," Sucy mutters softly as her eyes spotted two brooms descending nearby, the brooms of Hannah and Diana.

/-/

Hannah still couldn't believe what happened only minutes ago. It's like something from a dream, whether it's a good dream or a nightmare depends if she can find her heart before it finds Barbara. "Are you sure it hasn't found a way in yet?" She asks Diana as they fly together looking for her runaway heart. Apparently, if it was close she would feel its emotions inside her and she would hear the echoes of its pulse in her ears.

"Considering the fact we're having a bit of trouble ourselves I doubt something that small could find it before we did," Diana assures as her eyes widen. "Akko," she said, concern all over her voice as Hannah spots the red team in some post crash landing. Diana swoops down in a sudden arc to the floor, Hannah following right behind her, a worried look on her face as well.

"I apologise for the detour but I just need to check if she's alright," Diana mutters near her as they walk closer to the red team.

"It's fine Diana, I would do the same in your shoes," Hannah replies back in a soft whisper as Lotte helps Akko stand up. She was about to ask them what happened but Sucy beat her, her monotone voice draining all the colour on Hannah's face.

"Hey Hannah, when did you get a heart sprite?"

"That's none of your concern Sucy," Diana spoke instead, nudging Hannah lightly on the back to wake her up, her eyes and voice go soft as she looks at Akko. "The better question is are you okay Akko?"

"Huh, yeah I'm fine I guess," Akko blinks, her red eyes glancing between Diana and Hannah. "Diana, Hannah, when did you two get here?"

"We came when we saw your crash site," Diana said as she glances at Hannah whose face was slowly regaining its colour. She looks back at Akko, then her now broken broom then back at Akko but focusing on the new bruise on her head. "Are you sure you're okay Akko? Judging from the broom and the bruise on your head, it seems you had a nasty fall, how did this happen anyway?"

"Hehehe, I guess it was, I was practising my flying again but this weird alien thing hit my face and I fell down and yeah, here I am," she laughs a bit nervous and embarrassed.

"Weird alien thing?" Diana asked, ignoring how Sucy bluntly comments that it was a heart.

"Yep it was kinda small but it really red and it slammed into me which why I fell then just a minute ago it hit me again!" Akko exclaims, her theatrical side using her hands to create elaborate gestures. "It looked kinda looks something familiar now that I think about."

"That's because it was a heart Akko."

The word heart snaps Hannah out of her final states of confusion, her eyes zoom in on Akko as she lunges at her, gripping her shoulders tightly as she pushes herself up to Akko's face. "Where did it go?" The words hiss from desperate gritted teeth, her hazel eyes staring, burning into Akko's soul. Akko nods her head slowly, swallowing her sanity down her throat as she looks behind Hannah for help, quivering more when Hannah nudges her for details a second later.

Akko flails her arms, lost for words and logic before she points in a random direction. "It went that way!" She shouts, her eyes shut in fear. Hannah looks up at the direction, a murmur of thanks on her lips before she throws Akko back to the girls behind her before she runs in the direction Akko pointed to.

Lotte watches Hannah as she runs, it was the complete opposite way to where the heart went. Not taking her eyes off her, she tugs Sucy's robes. "Hey, shouldn't we tell Hannah she's going the-" whatever words were on Lotte's tongue were cut off with an acute gasp. Her eyes twinkling when Sucy forces her to turn and look at Akko who was caught by Diana, in more ways than one.

When Hannah shoved Akko back, Diana reached forward to catch her. However, Akko tripped on a broken piece of her broom and leant forward, accidentally kissing Diana which Lotte turned just in time to see. Diana stabilises them to make sure that this sudden interaction makes them fall over each other. Their cheeks are red, vivid with a high intensity as they broke off their sudden kiss, mouths open and staring at each other lost for words.

"Well this day just got interesting," Sucy comments with a low chuckle, looking back to Hannah who is in the far distance and near the orchards.

/-/

Hannah is leaning back on the tree, fatigue and lack of breath forcing her to stop her search for her missing heart. Right now she is amongst the branches, an idea hit her that she should be on the treetops since her heart can fly which lead to her climbing trees for the past hour or so. It didn't help that she got a few bruises here and there on her arms and legs from when apples fell on her during the climb up. It was even more of a pain that her heart got more of an advantage cause the trees were littered with red apples.

"Where is heck is Diana?" She mutters to herself as she looks in the general direction she came from. Hannah was mainly betting on her to help make the search for either her heart or Barbara to be a lot more easier. "I swear if she got held up by being gay for Akko I will-" her angry and annoyed face broke, voice retorting to dying stutters.

Light airy hums of an ethereal sound flutter to ears, waking the butterflies inside her as they dance to the music that drifts to the branches. She knows this sound, she hears it every day in the early morning. It was her own personal alarm clock that always woke her with a smile and a giggle, the same clock that doesn't know the definition of a snooze, constantly poking her cheek when she doesn't respond or wake fully. It's the sounds of Barbara singing and from the sounds of it, she's coming closer.

Hannah doesn't know how to feel about this. On one hand, she was happy that she found Barbara before her heart did, on the other hand, she was terrified because she was not prepared to meet her crush. Her mind was in spirals, even without her heart guiding her, every part of her body was pleading to her brain to peek from the side of the tree just to look at her. In the end, she couldn't fight back. She takes a deep breath as she looks to the side, only for it to be stolen from her.

Barbara was smiling, her grin so excitedly spread from ear to ear. She was walking with her nose was deep in a nightfall book, one hand flat under the spine to support it, the other hand used to flip the pages. The music that left her tongue was simple generic sounds that harmonise to the small beats of her footsteps coming closer. It was a simple sight but even the simple things have their own unique kind of beauty. Hannah doesn't know how long she was staring for but it was enough for her to be aware of the burning in her cheeks that force her to look away. She pats her cheeks repeatedly as if she was trying to stamp out the burning heat like it was a flame. Her smile was a shy squiggle of bashfulness, her breaths were in small jumps of nervous laughter and it was there she realises one thing.

She is not ready at all.

Without hesitation, Hannah began her descent down the tree, her eyes anxious of getting caught, her steps becoming reckless and hasty the more Barbara's voice was becoming closer and closer. She steps down on a branch and her eyes grow wide at the iconic snap of a branch. She gulps as she couldn't find a quick footing to balance her weight, the gravity of the situation overwhelming her and before she knew it another dreadful sound creaks above her forcing her to freeze up. The branch she clings to creaks again and Hannah sinks a bit more before a sudden shout snaps her awake and she jumps from the tree as the branch above tumbles down.

Hannah was anticipating for hard ground, a concrete bed that would leave her bruises, scratches and if she was unlucky a bone broken or two. What she got instead was the soft texture of feathers wrapping around her like a blanket, the blue partially cloudy sky is the only thing she can see along with the overlapping colour of a pale green. She knows exactly what happened, she recognises the colour and no matter how she tries to downplay it she can't deny the fact that Barbara just saved her. "Are you okay Hannah?" she hears behind her.

Hannah bends her head to look behind her, the whole world upside down and her stomach joins it as she sees Barbara's teal eyes and smiles focus her and her alone. She doesn't trust her tongue to talk or to not break into stutters and stammers so she nods her head, lips pressing together tightly as she is holding a secret. She watches Barbara sigh with relief as she gently turns her upright and plops her on the ground. The touches of feathers disperse as Barbara tucks her wand away and Hannah notices that her nightfall book was thrown carelessly on the grass in the small window of time she had before Barbara embraces her tightly.

"B-barbara!?" Hannah exclaims as she takes a step back, her arms up in a weird angle as her face lights up in a vivid red, the heat messing up her brain cells and rendering her useless. Barbara snuggles closer, her arms wrapping around her back in a tight protective manner and the way her warmth just completely envelops her convinces her to lower her arms and hug back. It was close to the warmth of the first sip of a hot chocolate on a winter's night and like said drink, Hannah drinks it all up and she hugs tighter before leaving the hug all too quickly.

"Thanks for saving me," Hannah said as she clears her throat when she steps away to give them space. Her original idea in this sort of scenario was to try and act like everything was normal and nothing changed but clearly, this just shows her that it's much harder to achieve it. She walks to the nightfall book that was left on the floor hoping that in this short time the red in her face would vanish. "I was too focused on getting down to notice the branch wasn't strong enough."  
Barbara giggles behind her, and it didn't help Hannah at all that those giggles were coming closer to her. She picks up the book, gently smoothing the creases of paper that were now there before she turns around. Whatever red that was gone from her face appears once more when her brain registers how close Barbara was to her. The smile on Barbara's face falters to confuse as her face leans closer, eyes narrowing in close inspection. "Barbara?" Hannah laughs nervously before it stops altogether.

Her hand… was on her forehead.

If any part of her face wasn't already in an internal fire, they're all now a heated inferno and like the aspects fire, the heat was quickly spreading to various parts of her like the tips of her ears.

"Are you sick Hannah? You're all red in the face and your head is all hot," Barbara asks as she leans closer, too close for Hannah as she sputters and stammers in denial. A fractured denial that Barbara didn't seem to believe as she places her hand on her neck to check the temperature there as well. It was an action that shuts Hannah up very quickly as butterflies become stuck in her throat and lungs, stealing every piece of oxygen there. It would be no surprise to Hannah if she faints or dies there and then.

"Hannah you're hot there as well!" Barbara exclaims before she retracts her hands from her head and neck, thankfully all before Hannah's urge to faint overwhelms her. Before Hannah has any chance to explain and spout out some random reason, Barbara grasps her hand and leads her off and away from the orchard. "I'm taking you to the Nurse Hannah, you shouldn't be climbing trees when you're sick." A few noise of similar to a dying cat leaves Hannah's lips as the sounds of her heart racing repeat in her ears as she stares at their hands holding each other.

"And no buts!" Barbara states, pausing to turn at her, her face once again too close for Hannah's brain to handle before she goes back to lead her away. "I'm going to get you to the nurse, even if I have to carry you myself." Hannah gulps at the idea of Barbara carrying away to the Nurse and so submits herself to be dragged away, even if it meant she was holding her hand to do so. She just wishes that her heartbeat wasn't being so loud.

Lost in her flustering brain Hannah fails to notice that she wasn't supposed to her heartbeat since it was outside of her chest, that she could only hear it if she was near her heart. She didn't even realise that her heart was right behind them a few trees away, watching in great earnest and an excited smile that its small desires were being met.

/-/

The walk back was a silence. It wasn't awkward, it was a comfortable silence that they were both used to. Hannah now walks by her side, no longer holding Barbara's hand which was both a good and bad thing. A good thing because they were in the courtyard of the school and there were students minding their own business because it was the sparse amount. Also, it was a good thing because her cheeks are no longer a red mess but a bad thing because despite it all Hannah can't deny the fact that she still wants to hold it for longer. Instead of holding Hannah's hands, Barbara is back to reading her nightfall book which Hannah doesn't mind at all. She has to admit it, Barbara looks really cute when she's reading.

She adores hearing her little squeaks when something interesting happens, or the quiet giggles at something funny. She also loves it when her teals eyes gleam like precious gems as they scan the words in front of her, it was quite beautiful though Hannah has to look away the second she senses her cheeks flaring a bit so that only light pink tinged her cheeks, her heart still thundering in her ears like it has done for the past 30 minutes or so.

"So why were you in a tree?" Barbara asks, her eyes glancing at Hannah who was looking at the surroundings to look for her heart as well as watching the clouds roll closer. It seems that it would rain pretty soon.

The calm expression on Hannah's face twitches to uncertainty and she was thankful she was hiding it from Barbara at the current moment. She needs to make an excuse and quick. "I uh, had to go pick apples to make apple pie with Jasminka."

"Ooooh, you're making pies now?"

Hannah couldn't help but laugh at Barbara's excited tone, a small chuckle leaves her lips as her head dips forwards slightly, a strand of her hair curls against her cheek. "Well I consider the word trying to best describe it, I'm not the good at baking."

Hannah pauses in her step as the electrifying chill of Barbara's touch. She looks up and her eyes catch Barbara giving her a supportive smile that takes her breath as she tucks the loose strand behind her ear, her teal eyes sparkling. "I'm sure you're a great baker and that those pies would be amazing." The rhythm of Hannah's heart speeds up to the point she was certain it skips a beat every now and then as she looks away, her hand scratching the back of her neck as she looks away. She was about to thank her for those kind words when she turns her head but something else caught her attention.

She doesn't know why, nor does she know how but her cartoonish heart was where Barbara's nightfall book was. The heart sighs, staring dreamingly at Barbara before it realises it Hannah's presence only to wink at her with a smile. Hannah thought of many scenarios of how she would reunite with her heart and how to approach them, this scenario, however, was not one of them.

"Hannah what are you looking at?" Barbara asks, turning her head to follow Hannah's gaze. However, before she had the chance to see her heart, Hannah leaps into action and attempts to catch it. Yet the heart was too fast and moves away before Hannah notices which left both Hannah and Barbara to look at their clasped hands. Hannah retracts it quickly, cheeks starting to flare with embarrassment as her free hand rubs the back of her neck before she pounces at a space where her heart was once. "Hannah, what's going on?"

"Nothing!" Hannah states as she circles Barbara, her hands constantly reaching and missing for her heart that was always a step ahead. With her mind too busy on the flying object in front of her, she fails to notice the surroundings around her. For example, Barbara was spinning as well in an attempt to follow her movements that her world was starting to spin and before she knew it she fell over from dizziness.

"Barbara!" Hannah shouts as she sees Barbara starting to fall. It was an instinct, a reaction that left her face red but her worries gone as Hannah caught her mid fall. To the students watching, the students that Hannah forgot was there, it looks Hannah was dipping Barbara like it was a slow dance. The only way Hannah knew this because she can hear the certain high squeal of her heart somewhere around her, even if she can't see it. "Bar-ba-ra," Hannah whispers softly as she shakes her, sighing as she groans back a response. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy," Barbara replies with a small chuckle before her eyes register what sort of situation they're in.

Hannah laughs nervously as she lifts Barbara up to her feet. "I'm glad you're okay-" Hannah's words were lost on her tongue as suddenly Barbara's face was inches away from hers, the colour of her face mirroring Hannah's as they become lost in the sudden presence of the other. She knew her heart was up to this, she just knew it. As if to prove her point, her heart was giggling right behind Barbara's neck, her eyes lost in reverie as it stares at the two of them. Not thinking straight or at all, Hannah lunges forward to get the heart, her arms wrapping around Barbara's neck. She succeeds, the heart was trapped in her hands but it came at a price.

In the process, Hannah accidentally kisses Barbara...in front of everyone.

Hannah doesn't know why she did it. Actually, she knew why she did it, the reason was in front of her. She wasn't just referring to her heart, she was also referring to the person who stole it, the person who intoxicated it with her presence and made it have emotions she didn't know she could have. Before they were good emotions, they were airy and light and it was if her world was in the skies, right now though, it's hollow, dark and it was if everyone in the world was watching her.

The kiss didn't last long. It ends seconds after it starts. Hannah tries to explain why she did it but any reasoning dies before it has a chance to speak and her mouth justs open to silence and the weird awkward silence that never happens between them until today. She separates her hands behind Barbara's neck and reunites them to hold the heart tighter as she steps back. Her hands tremble in fear, her lungs are starting to drown in the air it breathes as Barbara just stares at her, lost and in confusion just like her.

In hindsight she should've run there and then, to allude to herself that it was only her and Barbara present but she stays there, still trying to explain to Barbara for her actions, still failing to even say anything. That's when she hears it, the soft linger of an anonymous whisper.

Suddenly the air she breathes in wasn't air but a toxic gas that came from the students watching them, the students that Hannah became very aware of. Her head darts from one student to the other, their judging eyes piercing her mind, exposing her, tormenting her. Her breathing becomes desperate as the voices, the whispers explode around her, words of disgust and hatred attack her ears as _everything_ was falling apart.

There were no butterflies in her stomach, no they were poisoned by the abyssal void churning in her abdomen, the one that makes her sick, makes her want to forget everything today, the one that scares her. She was ready for any bad words that came her way now that she was different to most people but she didn't expect this. She looks down, her vision quickly becoming a blur and she lets go of her heart to wipe the tears on her face.

"Hannah…."

She looks up, her breaths are being nothing but raspy and rapid intakes of toxic gas as she looks at Barbara one more time, then at the heart that floats next to her and she watches in a painfully slow time, her heart's eyes and Barbara's eyes meet.

She needs to leave, _now_.

She lunges at her heart again, her blurry vision making her only get the black arm of a stick but it was enough of a grip to pull it away but something anchors it still to this spot. Through wet tears she sees it, her heart holding to Barbara's hand. It was holding her hand as desperately as she was to leave but in the end, Hannah had a bigger urgency. She pulls more, ignoring the slow tear she hears, the sudden ache inside her as if someone was beginning to rip her actual, physical heart out.

She looks in Barbara's teal eyes once more, her breath lost in panic before she turns away. The final tear echoes in the air around her, she can feel all eyes pierce into her mind as everything inside her was aching and hurting. The broken heart in her hand digs into her skin and the heavy rain pellets that hit her become the perfect disguise for the stinging tears on her cheeks as she runs to anywhere but Luna Nova, anywhere where she wasn't there.

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Hannah was under the Jennifer tree, sitting there alone after running in the rain for hours, trying to find a way to hide and disappear. Her skin was dripping with cold English rain as the water pellets work around risen goosebumps. Her hands and nose are reddened and numb as they shiver from the low temperatures. She pulls her knees up, her hands resting on them for she has no energy to lift them. Her hazel eyes just stare helplessly at the broken fragment in front of her, her heart.

The stupid reckless thing that caused this whole fiasco. Now she's going to be made fun of for being different, for being gay. She's going to be hated by Barbara and maybe Diana since she didn't even bother to help her after she meets Akko. She's going to to be kicked out of Luna Nova and maybe her family because everyone knows now. Everyone knows that she's gay for Barbara and it hurts. So many extravagant words can be used instead but those words, no matter how bad they would be, would never be close to the pain she has inside her. Everything just hurts.

Hannah buries her head in her hands, a new set of tears streaks down her face, joining in with the droplets of her soaked hair as she weeps loudly. Her voice hoarse and broken as she lifts her head to look at her broken heart. Everything just hurts. "And it's all your fault," she hisses as she throws her heart away. It doesn't get far though, in fact, she can reach it still if she leans and stretches her arm more. Hannah glances at it one more time before she buries her head in her knees, her arms wrapping around her body as she weeps once more.

She weeps more and more, too distraught to notice that she wasn't alone but Hannah realises this when she hears the giggles. There's more giggling and giggling and Hannah's tempers rise more and more before she jerks her head up and snaps at whoever was laughing at her. "DO YOU MIND-" The threat, the anger evaporates the instant she sees not who, but what's in front of her.

It's a heart.

It's a floating cartoonish heart, who had a glow of red emitting from it in the darkness that surrounds them and it was smiling at her. Hannah didn't believe it. She couldn't believe it. She can never forget how she died but still lived, how her mind was in a blind chaos, how pathetically broken she looked in Barbara's eyes. She glances at what she threw earlier, her mind in more disbelief that she can still see the dull shade of red from a broken heart in front of her. The heart giggles once more, it's smiling growing wide and Hannah stares at it, more especially its eyes. It's teal eyes that gleam with happiness and joy.

It was Barbara's heart- and Hannah was her desire.

To prove her point, Barbara's heart floats closer and touches her cheeks, a familiar sense of warmth returning to her and it only took Hannah seconds to realise it was wiping the tears from her eyes. She tries not to freak out, her breathing becoming slow and heavy intakes as she stares at Barbara's heart as it takes care of her and giving her smiles of support that Hannah has fallen for.

A set of soft footsteps echo in the room and it was music to Hannah's ears when she sees Barbara's heart look up with a great smile before it flies to the darkness and comes back with someone Hannah never thought she would see.

Barbara gives her a small smile, her teal eyes speaking volumes of the relief she emits to Hannah as she allows her heart to guide her to her. Hannah couldn't move, too shocked that this is happening, too scared to see what will happen next. Barbara picks up her heart Hannah threw away as she approaches and Hannah forgets to breathe when she seats right in front of her on her knees.

Her eyes flash a permission of consent and Hannah nods slowly, moving her hands out to her as she nods. Barbara smiles at her, a smile of comfort and reassurance. Silently she cups Hannah's hands and places both fragments of her heart together in there before she gives a soft push. In a sudden blink, Hannah's heart with hazel eyes and a yellow bow on one side comes back once more and Hannah feels whole once more. Her heart flies up with excited giggles and small chortles as it spins round and round before it gasps in shock. It's hazel eyes lighting up as she sees Barbara's heart and with little hesitation, she pounces at it with a big hug.

Hannah watches this happen with an open mouth, eyes lost in confusion and disbelief and for some strange reason, hope. That hope grows even more as Barbara's heart hugs back with equal power, especially when she hears the angelic noise of Barbara's giggles in front of her. She turns back to Barbara before her vision became shadowed as Barbara places her towel in her hair and dries it and Hannah letting go of the breath she held when Barbara gives her a smile that matches the gleam in her teal eyes as she let the towel cover her hair.

Barbara shuffles closer and Hannah's heart suddenly explodes with a turret of rapid pulses as Barbara looks at her with a bashful smile, red all over her small cautious steps, Barbara threads her fingers between Hannah's and Hannah holds her breath in anticipation as Barbara uses the other hand to gently cup her cheek. A sense of heat warms her entire body but this was a warmth that reminds Hannah of home, even when her cheeks starts to burn.

"Hey," Barbara says softly, her teal eyes not leaving Hannah's at all and Hannah breathes in the sense of calmness and comfort that surrounds them like a cocoon. Hannah smiles at her, a genuine one full of nerves and excitement and love for this girl in front of her as she buries her face into her hand and holds her hand closer.

"Hey," she whispers back as they look at each other in their comfortable silence. They didn't need words in this conversation, the loving look in their eyes says it all.


End file.
